ACCIDENTS INVOLVING SBS BUSES (Reasons)

Mr R. Sinnakaruppan asked the Minister for Communications what are the reasons for the spate of accidents involving SBS buses in the last few months and what action has been taken to remedy the situation.

The Minister for Communications (Mr Mah Bow Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I be allowed to take the first two Questions together as they are related?

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, in the first two months of this year, there were nine major traffic accidents involving SBS buses that attracted widespread public attention and concern. The Traffic Police has completed its investigations of these accidents. The investigations revealed that the accidents were due to human error and not to mechanical defects.

Although the nine accidents received considerable media publicity, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Traffic Police records indicate that they do not represent a worsening trend. The accident rate for SBS buses for the first two months of this year is 0.96 accidents per 100,000 km. This is about the same as the accident rate for last year. In comparison with other large urban public transport operators world-wide, for example, Hong Kong (1.8 accidents per 100,000 km), Paris (9.7 accidents per 100,000 km) and UK (0.34 accidents per 100,000 km), SBS' safety record is relatively good.

Nevertheless, in view of the recent spate of serious accidents, SBS has instituted further measures to enhance its safety record. The new safety programmes that SBS has implemented recently should help to increase safety awareness amongst bus drivers. The LTA will continue to monitor the situation and will ensure that all the necessary corrective and preventive measures are taken to reduce the number of serious accidents.

Mr R. Sinnakaruppan (Kampong Glam GRC): I would like to ask the Minister whether he agrees that the drivers are expected to work long hours, particularly in one of the shifts, eg, starting at about 4.30 am and another shift starting at 5.00 am, and some of these shifts finish at 4.30 pm or even 8.00 pm (12-15 hours). Are the drivers overworked in this respect?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, driver fatigue has been suggested as one of the factors contributing to these accidents. I cannot rule out this possibility and, in fact, because of the tight labour market, SBS has been facing tremendous difficulty in recruiting good bus drivers. Currently, there is a shortage of 300-400 drivers. Because the company has a responsibility to meet basic bus service standards and to improve its level of service, including extending its road network to cover new areas, SBS bus drivers have been asked to take on greater responsibilities and work longer hours, as suggested by the Member.

As I said, the specific causes of these various accidents have been investigated and the Traffic Police has made its conclusions and will be releasing its results. Whether it is due specifically to driver fatigue is not known. The point is, according to SBS, some of the accidents had happened at the beginning of shifts rather than at the end of shifts, and some of the accidents had happened after a rest day rather than at the end of a long period of rostered work. Therefore, in the case of the nine accidents, there is no correlation between driver fatigue and the accidents. But it is a cause for concern that some of the drivers are working long hours and this is something that the SBS management must look into and I believe it is looking into.

Mr Leong Horn Kee (Thomson GRC): Sir, may I ask the Minister what is the average number of hours worked by the bus drivers per week and on a daily basis? As the Minister has said, the accidents could be due to human error or fatigue. May I also ask the Minister whether there are plans to limit the number of hours that the drivers have to drive at a stretch before they need to rest and to limit the number of hours of overtime work per day or per week?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The average number of hours worked per day is something like 9-9 1/2 hours. This is on a continuous basis but in between there are rest periods. The question is whether the rest periods are sufficient and this is determined by the rosters and schedules that the bus drivers are given. SBS and the unions are having another look at the schedules. Schedules are looked at on a regular basis but in view of these concerns they are re-looking at the schedules again to see whether there is sufficient rest time.

In so far as whether we will limit the number of hours worked, at the moment there is no reason for us to limit the number of hours worked, including overtime hours, because there is no positive correlation between the number of hours worked and the accidents. As I said, the accident rate has not shown a worsening trend. The number of hours worked and the rosters have not been any different from those in the past. The drivers have been working these hours and they have been working on the rosters that they are currently working today. The implication of this is that SBS should relook at some of these working conditions, including the terms and conditions of service so that it is able to minimise the number of overtime hours of work. To require them to cut down the number of hours worked immediately as a result of this will inevitably mean a curtailment of service because it is not possible for them to be able to recruit this number of drivers. So there has to be a very conscious effort made on the part of the management to make sure that drivers are properly trained and there are sufficient measures in place to ensure that the drivers adhere to traffic rules. Ultimately it is also important for all road users to cooperate with the drivers on the road to make sure there is as low a traffic accident rate as possible on our roads.

Mr Teo Chong Tee (Changi): Sir, may I ask the Minister how many of these drivers who were involved in the recent spate of bus accidents were work permit holders?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, I do not have that information available to me.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Sir, I am quite happy to note that there is no correlation between worker fatigue and the accidents of late. But what is alarming is that I am given to understand that there are about 33% Malaysians working in Singapore, many of whom stay in Johor Baru. Let us say they work in the morning shift at 4.30 ---

Mr Speaker: Mr Sinnakaruppan, could you ask your question?

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Yes. I want to ask the Minister, if some of the workers leave their house at 3.00 am or 3.30 am and reach home at 10.00 pm, how much rest can they have? Therefore, in future, this could lead to a lot more problems. As the Minister has just said, because of a shortage of bus drivers, the present workforce is asked to work longer hours. I see that this problem could get worse and it could possibly result in more accidents.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, the starting point is that we must determine whether there is a direct positive correlation between the number of hours worked, the fact that they are Malaysian drivers, the fact that their rosters are as long as they are today, and the current nine accidents, before we can make those conclusions. Having said that, it is a fact that there are a lot of drivers who are on work permit at the moment. This is a result of the inability of SBS to recruit more Singaporeans to drive buses. It is not an easy job. The pay and the working conditions must be commensurate and must be attractive enough to draw Singaporeans to work in this kind of job. But, as the Member may be aware, in Singapore today there is a very tight labour market. There are many alternative jobs. There are many alternative jobs even in the transportation sector, whether it is driving taxis or container trucks. Therefore, it is important for SBS to recognise this and to do something about this. But there will always be this need for foreign workers on work permits for quite a long time to come in this particular sector. I am not aware of the exact number but it is close to 20-30%. I do not think it is as high as 33%. But if SBS wants to recruit more drivers, it would have to do so by making a fundamental review of its terms and conditions of service.

Mr Chiam See Tong: The Minister has quoted figures to show that Paris and Hong Kong have the worst bus accident records than Singapore. I have two questions. Surely, the important thing is whether or not Paris and Hong Kong have a world-class transport system or have they proclaimed to have one. The second question is: although the Minister says that our figure is quite low (0.96 accidents per 100,000 km), will the Minister say that even such a figure is not acceptable and he will take steps to reduce it, at least to the UK level?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Let me correct the Member for Potong Pasir. First of all, we have not achieved our objective of having a world-class transport system. This is an objective that we have set ourselves. This is an objective that we will have to take many, many years to achieve. At the moment, there are things in our public transport system that are not satisfactory and I have said this many times. But to say that and to link it with the current spate of accidents, I think, is stretching his licence as an Opposition Member a little bit too far.

Yes, I agree that the accident rate can be further reduced. Every accident that takes place must be a source of anguish and pain for everybody concerned, not just for the victims but it must be so for the drivers, the management and for all of us who are directly or indirectly involved in public transportation. This is not something to be taken lightly. But the point I want to make is that SBS has taken measures. It has viewed these accidents with concern. The authorities have expressed their concern in no uncertain terms. We have asked them to take steps to further improve the situation. Can the accident rate be reduced further? I believe it can, in the same way that the public transport operators in Singapore have reduced their accident rates over the years. Surely, they can reduce it further and I strongly believe, if they take the steps that they are taking, that it will be reduced further. So it is incumbent upon all of us who are involved to reduce the accident rate to as low as is humanly possible. I cited those figures to show that in comparison with other urban public transport operators, our public transport operators are not doing too badly. They are not the worst; they are not the best either. Therefore, there is always room for improvement.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: I would like to ask the Minister, given the fact that very few Singaporeans take up the job as bus drivers, and the fact that the Chairman of SBS has announced that bus drivers get about 20% less than other transport operators, taxis and so on, would SBS consider increasing the remuneration for bus drivers?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, this is something for the SBS management and unions to consider together with all the other necessary measures that would have to be taken in order to minimise the rate of accidents.

Mr Leong Horn Kee: Sir, may I ask the Minister, since there may be some difficulty in getting local workers, whether there is a limit in the percentage of foreign workers that can be employed as bus drivers, and if this percentage is too small, whether he should ask the Labour Minister to increase the number, so that we can have more bus drivers to cater for the industry.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, there is a limit at the moment to the number of foreign workers that can be employed by SBS as bus drivers, in the same way as there are limits or quotas to the number of work permit holders in other industries. I think this is something that we would have to proceed very cautiously if we were to lift the limit or remove the cap.

Public transport or bus services is an essential industry. It is something that we want to make sure continues to have as many Singaporeans as possible. Recognising that it is not possible to have a 100% Singaporean workforce, the Labour Ministry has allowed SBS to employ foreign workers. It is sufficient at the moment because I believe the quota for foreign workers, as far as SBS is concerned, has not been reached yet. So I do not think there is a necessity to lift the quota. I do not think the question arises at this stage. But the important thing is to make sure that the terms and conditions of service are sufficiently attractive for as many bus drivers as possible as are needed in order to provide the kind of service that Singaporeans expect of them.

Mr Chiam See Tong: To allay the fears of bus commuters in Singapore, will the Government take immediate measures to try and cut down this rate of accidents caused by SBS buses? With a view to improving the situation, will the Government ask the bus companies to review the salary of the bus drivers?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, let me cite a list of the measures that are being taken by the bus company as a result of the recent spate of accidents.

First of all, there will be another safety inspection of interchanges and terminals where all interchanges and terminals will undergo a comprehensive check to make sure that all the necessary safety features are in place and adequate. All new buses supplied since 1988 are fitted with speed limiters. In view of this spate of accidents, SBS will retrofit all the other buses with speed limiters. As I indicated earlier, a special exercise is now going on to check all schedules to ensure that there is adequate running and lay overtime. This is on top of the on-going periodic reviews of the schedules which are based on actual operations and which are done in consultation with the union.

There will be a review of the drivers' salary scale. The terms and conditions of service for drivers will be reviewed to bring them more in line with the market rate. There will be a new accident-free incentive allowance to recognise and reward good and safe drivers. I think we must not forget that the majority of the drivers on the road are good drivers; they are safe drivers.

Enforcement action against speeding and careless reversing has been stepped up. Traffic staff at interchanges have been reminding drivers on a daily basis to drive safely. An intensive campaign is under-way to enforce safe driving. Specifically, drivers are asked to drive at a safe speed, keep a safe distance from the front vehicle, whenever in doubt, apply brakes to slow down, to stop the bus, etc. Drivers' safety drills at junctions and pedestrian crossings have been introduced. Preparation is also being finalised for a safety dialogue between depot management and drivers in smaller groups.

Finally, a series of activities to promote safety consciousness amongst bus passengers is also being planned.

So I think the Member will appreciate that from this list of measures that are being taken, the authorities have asked the SBS to leave no stone unturned to make sure that the recent series of accidents that have caused public concern are minimised, if not eliminated.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, according to the list of steps the bus company has taken, it would appear that the most important one has been left out. The accidents are caused by human error. Surely they must study why there is such human error. I think that is the most important point, and they do not seem to include such studies whether or not the bus driver was under stress or worried about the family, or whatever factor that causes the human error. They should make a study of it.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, in so far as the specific accidents are concerned, the Traffic Police is the authority that is investigating the accidents. When the final report of the investigation is published, the Member will have another chance to ask any question that he may wish.

But on that point alone, let me go further and tell this House what SBS drivers undergo as far as training is concerned. For new drivers, there is training for 12 days for class 4A licence. There is a 23-day familiarisation course after this. There is a 33-day induction course after this. For refresher courses, drivers after three years of service are sent for a 3-day training course where their driving habits are picked up and where other corrective measures are taken. Then, in so far as the current training courses are concerned, these measures, including situation training, anti-stress training, training using simulators, are also being looked at and these will be done by a team of training experts from overseas. They will be invited to look into SBS' training programmes and see how improvements can be made.